Look At How Happy This Dog Is With His Upgraded 3D-Printed Legs

Would you like to start a new year with a heartwarming update on Derby, the adorable dog with 3D-printed legs? The answer is “yes” unless you hate joy. We don’t know your life. Maybe you didn’t bawl your eyes out thirteen months ago watching Derby run for the first time thanks to his first set of fancy plastic paws. Maybe you aren’t interested in hearing about how Derby now has a forever home and upgraded prostheses that now allow him to walk and sit more comfortably at a regular height. Maybe you’re a monster.

Someone who is decidedly not a monster is Tara Anderson, who should totally be played by Emma Stone if they make a movie about this. Anderson adopted Derby from Peace and Paws Dog Rescue last year and — being that she’s a project manager at 3D printing company 3D Systems — put her 3D printing resources and skills to immediate use in designing custom prostheses for Derby’s congenital leg deformity.

After sifting through many new designs of varying sizes, Anderson arrived at an iteration she likens to the human knee, in that it had just the right amount of give and take. She then crafted the new prostheses using selective laser sintering and fitted it to Derby’s front legs.